Bat type lint cleaner with resiliently mounted feed plate



y 1956 E. E. Moss 2,755,512

BAT TYPE LINT CLEANER WITH RESILIENTLY MOUNTED PLATE Filed June 14, 19552 Sheets-Sheet l x i/l, a

July 24, 1956 E. E. Moss 2,755,512

BAT TYPE LINT CLEANER WITH RESILIENTLY MOUNTED FEED PLATE Filed June 14,1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 Uzi if J7 20 ll! O 7 Jig 5.

INVENTOR fifllm's'lfflkss ATTORNEYS BAT TYPE LINT CLEANER WITHRE'SILIENTLY MOUNTED FEED PLATE Ennis E. Moss, Lubbock, Tex, assignor ofone-fourth to Ennis E. Moss, Jr., one-fourth to James P. Moss, andone-fourth to Hoyle G. Moss, Lubbock, Tex.

Application June 14, 1955, Serial No. 515,290

6 Claims. (Cl. 19-67) This invention relates to lint cleaners for ginnedcotton, of that type in which the lint in the form of a bat passessequentially between cooperating feed rolls by which it is drawn andthereby thinned, and passes between the face of a feed plate and acooperating driven roll so as to be pulled out into a fringe by saiddriven roll, the fringed end of said bat being continuously fed into thebite of an adjacent toothed licker-in roll which carries the lint pastsuitable cleaning instrumentalities.

In apparatus of this type it is customary to mount resiliently the rollwhich is complementary to the face of the feed plate so that it willyield to let pass thick spots in the bat, otherwise the thick spotsmight hold the bat, causing it to be broken through the pull of thelicker-in roll.

However, the said complementary roll also cooperates with at least oneof the anterior feed rolls so that the self adjustment of theresiliently mounted complementary roll with respect to the adjacent faceof the feed plate, is also accompanied by variation of the spacingbetween the complementary roll and the anterior feed roll, whichvariation may not be desirable.

The object of the present invention is to make the feed plateresiliently yieldable and not the complementary roll, for since the feedplate does not cooperate directly with the anterior feed rolls,adjustment of the feed plate does not afiect the positional relationshipof the said complementary roll to the adjacent feed roll.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following descriptionof a practical embodiment thereof appears.

the following specification, and throughout the figures of which thesame reference characters have been employed to denote identical parts:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a lint cleaner embodying theprinciples of the invention, taken in a plane perpendicular to the axisof rotation of the lickerin roll, parts of the lint cleaner beingomitted;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view, partly in section, showing theresilient mounting and adjusting mechanism at one end of the feed plate;

Figure 3 is a cross-section taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a cross-section taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

In the drawings which accompany and form a part of Figure 5 1s afragmentary perspective view, partly in section, showing the slidingsupport of the feed plate.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the numeral 1 represents oneside of the casing of a lint cleaner, in which casing the licker-incylinder 2 is mounted, and above this the pair of cooperating feed rolls3 and 4. While only one pair of feed rolls is shown, this may be theterminal member of a series of feed rolls leading from a hopper, notshown, or other cotton inlet, to which the lint is supplied withoutvehicle air. The function of the feed rolls is to form the cotton into athin bat by compression and drawing and through the drawing opera-Patented July 24, 1956 tion, to an extent to comb the lint. Thelicker-in cylinder is clothed with oblique teeth 5, the points of whichare directed in the direction of rotation of said cylinder.

Between the pair of rolls 3 and 4 and the licker-in cylinder, a unit islocated that prepares the end of the bat into a fringe and feeds it intothe bite of the lickeriu cylinder, the teeth of which snatch cottonfibers from the fringe of the bat and carry it in operative proximity tocleaning instrumentalities arranged adjacent the periphery of thelicker-in cylinder, and then to dofling means. The cleaninginstrumentalities are exemplified by the spaced mote bars 6, againstwhich the cotton fibers carry it by the teeth, and standing outcentrifugally, are brushed.

The fringe preparing unit consists of a feed plate 7 and a complementaryfeed roll 8. The feed plate has a smoothed curved face 9 which issubstantially coaxial with the surface of the roll 8, excepting at thetop where it flares with respect to the surface of said roll. Thesurface of the roll is preferably corrugated. The feed plate 7 is spaceda minimum distance from the complementary roll 8. The bat from the feedrolls 3 and 4 is fed into this space, one side of the bat being insliding contact with the smooth face 9, while the other side which is ineffect geared to the surface of the complementary roll, is positivelydrawn downward. This action results in the lower end of the bat beingdrawn extremely thin into what may be properly called a fringe, and itis this progressively formed fringe which is presented to the rapidlypassing teeth of the licker-in cylinder. As a general rule, the speed ofpresentation of the fringe, the thinness of the fringe, the number ofteeth and the peripheral speed of the licker-in cylinder are socorrelated that each tooth carries only a few cotton fibers, this beingin the interest of thorough cleaning. In the illustrated embodiment ofthe invention, the licker-in cylinder rotates toward the plate 7, thelatter being formed with an under face 10 lying close to the licker-incylinder for holding the cotton fibers down against their centrifugaltendency to fly out, until they become firmly attached to the teeth ofthe licker-in cylinder. In some cleaners the direction of rotation ofthe licker-in cylinder is away from the feed plate, in which case adiverting board (not shown) is arranged close to the teeth at the sideof the complementary roll opposite to the feed plate, for accomplishingthe same purpose.

It is essential that one of the walls of the passage between the feedplate and complementary roll be yieldable, for the bat is not of uniformthickness throughout, but affected with lumps which would create undueresistance to the progress of the bat through a passage of inflexiblewidth, and cause the teeth to pull chunks from the fringe end of thebat. It is customary to provide this yield by resiliently mounting thecomplementary roll. Inasmuch as the latter roll also cooperates with atleast one of the feed rolls anterior to it in feeding cotton to theplate 7, and adjustment of the roll 8 with respect to feed plate 7 alsoadjusts it with respect to the feed roll 4, or rather relative to thespace between the rolls 3 and 4, which may not be desirable.

The present invention contemplates leaving the complementary roll on afixed axis and providing for bat responsive variation in the width ofthe passage between the feed plate and complementary roll by resilientlymounting the feed plate.

Insofar as the feed plate and the means for mounting and adjusting itare concerned, identical structure is duplicated at both sides of thecasing of the lint cleaner and at both ends of the feed plate, so thatit has been necessary only to illustrate the structure at one side ofthe cleaner.

The opposite sides of the casing are provided with slots 11 at the samelevel on both sides, and extending inward so as to approach the axis ofthe complementary roll 8, being shown slightly below a horizontal planeembracing said axis. The opposite ends of the feed plate 7 have flatlugs 12 which project freely through said slots so that the feed plateis capable of being moved slidably toward or away from the complenetaryroll 8. The outer ends of the lugs 12 have downwardly extending flangesi3 at their outer ends. Guide blocks 14 are rigidly mounted against theoutside of the opposite walls of the casing by means of bolts 15 whichscrew into said casing. Each of the bolts, one of which is illustratedin Figures 3 and 4, passes through a countersunk bore 16 opening on theinner face of the guide block, and containing a spring under compressionwhich presses the casing and acts in the manner of a lock nut in keepingthe bolt from becoming loose under vibration. The guide blocks 14 arelocated adjacent the closed or inner end of the slots 11. Each has itsinner upper face substantially flush with the lowe. face of thecorresponding lugs 12, and with its outer face which embraces the outerend of said lug extending to a higher level. A longitudinal channel 17is formed in the upper face of each guide block, for the purpose ofreceiving the flange 13. The outer end wall 18 of the guide block isformed with a slot 1h therethrough, through which the flange 13 moveswhen the feed plate is moved forward. T he channel 17 is somewhat deeperthan the slot 19, so that the end wall 18 closes the lower part of saidchannel. A ball 24) occupies the bottom portion of said channel, beingof such size as to extend slightly above the level of the bottom of theslot 19, but being imprisoned in said channel by the end wall 18, theflange 13 of the lug 12 rides upon this ball. The rearward wall 21 ofthe guide block is or" suilicient height to embrace the lug 12. Anadjusting stud 22 passes through the upper portion of said rear wall soas to be in abutment with the rear face of the lug 12 when the feedplate is moved inward, forming a limit stop to determine the minimumspacing between the feed plate and the complementary roll 8.

A pair of supporting plates 23 are adjustably secured on the inside ofthe opposite walls of the casing, being fastened by bolts 24 passingthrough vertical slots in the supporting plates and being secured intothe casing on opposite sides of the slots 11. Said supporting plateshave inwardly extending upper and lower rms 25, each of which is boredto receive a guide rod 26, said guide rods being pinned rigidly withinsaid arms by the pins or screws 27. The guide rods freely extend withinbores 28 in the feed plate, but terminate short of the bottoms of saidbores so as to allow reciprocable movement in both directions betweensaid guide rods and the feed plate. The feed plate is provided withconnterbores Z9 coaxial with the bores 23 and opening in the outer faceof said feed plate. Coil springs 3 surround the guide rods and extendwithin said counterbores. They are in compression between the shoulders31 at the bottoms of said counterbores. and the arms 25, and theirexpansion is resisted by the adiusting studs 22.

The bolt and slot connections between the supporting plates 23 and thewalls of the casing, permit the feed plate to be adjust-ed vertically,this adjustment increasing or decreasing the width of the space betweenthe teeth of the liclrer-in cylinder and the under face of the feedplate and at the same time narrowing progressively the width of thespace between the feed plate the complementary roll 8 in a downwarddirection. This adiustment is extremely useful in determining thenarrowing of the bat in its final stage of completion, and inconsequence, the degree of thinness of the fringe. The stud screwcontrols the minimum width of the space between the feed plate and thecomplementary roll. The feed plate floats upon the springs 3%, so thatwhen a lump in the bat begins to squeeze in the space between the feedplate and complementary roll, the feed plate recedes, widening thespace, and preventing the lump from momentarily immobilizing the bat sothat its lower end would be torn oil by the teeth of the licker-incylinder. The ballbearing mounting of the feed plate on the outside ofthe casing prevents the bearing from becoming clogged with lint or dust,and makes the feed plate freely responsive to relatively slight pressureexerted by inequalities in the thickness of the bat.

While I have in the above description disclosed what I believe to be aspecific means for resiliently mounting and adjusting the feed platewith respect to the complementary roll, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that the details of construction and the arrangementof parts are by way of example and not to be construed as limiting thescopeof the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a lint cleaner for ginned cotton of the type comprising a toothedcylinder, means for feeding a thin bat of cotton endwise to the bite ofsaid toothed cylinder whereby the bat is progressively disintegratedthrough the abstraction of fibers by said cylinder, and lint cleaningmeans in operative proximity to the periphery of said cylinder, in sucha lint cleaner, means for presenting the bat to said cylinder comprisinga feed plate and a complementary feed roll, positioned adjacent theperiphery of said cylinder in the upper arc of its path of rotation,spaced apart to form a bat passage, said complementary feed roll beingon a fixed axis and means yieldably mounting said feed plate to vary thewidth of the said bat passage responsive to pressure exerted betwen thewalls of said passage.

2. In a lint cleaner for ginned cotton of the type comprising a toothedcylinder, means for feeding a thin bat of cotton endwise to the bite ofsaid toothed cylinder whereby the bat is progressively disintegratedthrough the abstraction of fibers by said cylinder, and lint cleaningmeans in operative proximity to the periphery of said cylinder, in sucha lint cleaner, means for presenting the bat to said cylinder comprisinga feed plate and a complementary feed roll positioned adjacent theperiphery of said cylinder in the upper arc of its path of rotation,spaced apart to form a bat passage, a feed roll anterior to said batpresenting means cooperating with said complementary roll in spacedrelation thereto forming therewith an anterior bat passage, saidcomplementary roll being on a fixed axis, and means yieldably mountingsaid feed plate to vary the Width of the bat passage between said plateand complementary roll responsive to pressure exerted between the wallsof said last named passage.

3. In a lint cleaner for ginned cotton of the type comprising a toothedcylinder, means for feeding a thin bat of cotton endwise to the bite ofsaid toothed cylinder whereby the bat is progressively disintegratedthrough the abstraction of fibers by said cylinder, and lint clea hmgmeans in operative proximity to the periphery of said cylinder, in sucha lint cleaner, means for presenting the bat to said cylinder comprisinga feed plate and a complementary feed roll, positioned adjacent theperiphery of said cylinder in the upper arc of its path of rotation,said plate having a smooth face confronting said complementary rollthroughout a substantial arcuate area of the latter, spaced therefrom toform a bat passage, a feed roll anterior to said bat presenting meanscooperating with said complementary roll in spaced relation theretoforming therewith an anterior bat passage, said complementary roll beingon a fixed axis, and means yieldably mounting said feed plate to varythe width of the bat passage between said plate and complementary rollresponsive to pressure exerted between the walls of said last namedpassage.

4. Lint cleaner comprising a casing having opposite side walls, atoothed cylinder within said casing between said side walls, means forpresenting a thin bat of cotton endwise to the bite of said toothedcylinder whereby the bat is progressively disintegrated through theabstraction of fibers by said cylinder, and lint cleaning means inoperative proximity to the periphery of said cylinder, said batpresenting means comprising a feed plate and a complementary feed roll,positioned adjacent the periphery of said cylinder in the upper arc ofits path of rotation, said plate having a face confronting saidcomplementary roll throughout a substantial arcuate area of the latter,spaced therefrom to form a bat passage, said complementary roll being ona fixed axis, said feed plate having end extensions passing throughslots in said side walls, said extensions having downwardly directedflanges at their ends forming slides, guide blocks on said casing havingguide channels receiving said slides, antifriction bearings within saidchannels upon which said flanges rest, supporting said feed plate,spring supports on said side walls, springs carried thereby incompression between said supports and said feed plate biasing it towardsaid complementary roll, and stop means on said lint cleaner engaged bysaid feed plate for establishing a minimum width of bat passage betweensaid plate and complementary roll.

5. Lint cleaner comprising a casing having opposite side walls, atoothed cylinder within said casing between said side walls, means forpresenting a thin bat of cotton endwise to the bite of said toothedcylinder whereby the bat is progressively disintegrated through theabstraction of fibers by said cylinder, and lint cleaning means inoperative proximity to the periphery of said cylinder, said batpresenting means comprising a feed plate and a complementary feed roll,positioned adjacent the periphery of said cylinder in the upper arc ofits path of rotation, said plate having a face confronting saidcomplementary roll throughout a substantial arcuate area of the latter,spaced therefrom to form a bat passage, said complementary roll being ona fixed axis, said feed plate having end extensions passing throughslots in said side walls so directed as to allow translation of saidfeed plate toward or away from said complementary roll, spring supportson said side walls, springs carried thereby in compression between saidsupports and said feed plate biasing it toward said complementary roll,and stop means on said lint cleaner engaged by said feed plate forestablishing a minimum width of bat passage between said plate andcomplementary roll.

6. Lint cleaner comprising a casing having opposite side walls, atoothed cylinder within said casing between said side walls, means forpresenting a thin bat of cotton endwise to the bite of said toothedcylinder whereby the bat is progressively disintegrated through theabstraction of fibers by said cylinder, and lint cleaning means inoperative proximity to the periphery of said cylinder, said batpresenting means comprising a feed plate and a complementary feed roll,positioned adjacent the periphery of said cylinder in the upper arc ofits path of rotation, said plate having a face confronting saidcomplementary roll throughout a substantial arcuate area of the latter,spaced therefrom to form a bat passage, said complementary roll being ona fixed axis, said feed plate having end extensions passing throughslots in said side walls so directed as to allow translation of saidfeed plate toward or away from said complementary roll, spring supportson said side walls, guide rods carried thereby, said feed plate on theside remote from said complementary roll being formed with boresregistering with said guide rods, springs about said guide rodsextending within said bores in compression between said spring supportsand said feed plate biasing said feed plate toward said complementaryroll, and stop means on said lint cleaner engaged by said feed plate forestablishing a minimum width of bat passage between said plate andcomplementary roll.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,128,130 Farrar Aug, 23, 1938 2,667,665 Gray Feb. 2, 1954 2,704,862Moss Mar. 29, 1955

